“I would love to Matt Cassel back, if Matt Cassel wants to be back,” Zimmer said Thursday. “I don’t know if that will happen, won’t happen. But we’re going to find a quarterback somewhere, and if it’s not Matt Cassel, then we’ll find someone else.

“I want guys that want to be here. I want guys that want to be part of the franchise, be part of the organization, be part of the team, and if Matt wants to come back, then I’m sure we’ll get it worked out.”

Cassel, 31, voided the second year of his contract last month and can become an unrestricted free agent at 4 p.m. Eastern on Tuesday. The window for teams to talk to the agents for prospective UFAs begins Saturday.

“I think everyone wants to explore,” Zimmer said. “He’s got a bunch of pretty girls looking at him right now. So, he wants to explore and see what’s best for him.

“And you know what? I don’t blame any of these guys in free agency. That’s why they have the rules, is they get a chance to go see what their market’s worth and then if they find a better situation than what they think is here, then (they’ll take it). And I think that’s everyone.”

Zimmer – the former Cincinnati Bengals defensive coordinator who was hired as Leslie Frazier’s replacement in January – said he doesn’t know much about Cassel beyond their phone conversation and having prepared to play him, most recently in Week 16 of this past season.

“I think the team rallied around him,” Zimmer said of Cassel, who won three of six starts for the Vikings last seaosn. “I think the team has a lot of confidence in him.”